Speech and hearing foundation plans new $7M center

The Baton Rouge Speech and Hearing Foundation has launched a capital campaign to raise $7 million for a new, larger facility that will increase access to therapy for children and adults with communication disorders. The new facility will be known as The Emerge Center for Communication, Behavior and Development. The center will transition to this new name as it continues its capital campaign over the next two years. The new facility will be double the current center’s size, enabling it to triple the number of patients. The foundation has chosen the LSU South Campus as the location for the new facility. The center’s goal is to break ground this fall and open in 2014. So far, the foundation has secured $4.2 million in pledges from donors including The Albemarle Foundation ($1.5 million); The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation ($1 million); The Reilly Family Foundation ($500,000); and The Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation ($250,000). “In the last few years, demand for our services has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, in our current facility, we are unable to accommodate many children who are in urgent need of our therapies,” says Melissa Juneau, the center’s executive director. “We know for our children, especially those with autism, there is a critical window of time to intervene. We must give them access to our services.” See a rendering of the facility here.